Nanofibrous scaffold by cleaner magnetron-sputtering additive manufacturing: A novel biocompatible platform for antibacterial application

Abstract Infections are still the major challenge of the successful application of biomaterials. Also, the cytotoxicity caused by the high concentration of metal ions is a primary concern with antibacterial biomaterials. In this study, template-assisted magnetron sputtering was used to fabricate Ag/Zn galvanic couples composited poly (e-caprolactone)/gelatin (Ag/Zn@PCL/Gel) electroactive antibacterial scaffold. The electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy detector, and X-ray diffractometry results proved that Ag/Zn coating uniformly covered the PCL/Gel nanofiber surface. The developed Ag/Zn@PCL/Gel scaffold showed efficient antibacterial activity against S. aureus (97.22%) and E. coli (96.93%), which depended on the synergistic effect of microscale electric fields, metal ions, and reactive oxygen species. The coating area of Ag/Zn dots on the PCL/Gel nanofibrous scaffold is 10.62%, accompanied by a low released Ag+ concentration (≤0.13 mg/L after soaking for 24 h). The cytotoxicity assessment showed no cytotoxicities, and the histopathological analysis revealed no discernible harm to host tissues. Overall, this facile and green template-assisted magnetron sputtering method offers a new strategic direction for designing electroactive antibacterial materials with good biocompatibility.